Blog about a woman cyclist reflecting mostly on cycling in a whole host of forms, including the odd adventure on or off the bike!
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Thursday, 31 December 2015

Cycling words from 2015

A few memorable quotes I picked up during interviews I did with cycling folks in 2015:

"Just completing the event teaches you a huge amount about yourself. The process of getting to the start line is the most valuable thing I think any cyclist can do. If you’re a number crunching training animal then it’s right up your street. We’ve taken marginal gains to the nth degree, and we can apply them to what I’m going to be doing between now and the games in Rio." Sarah Storey speaking following her hour record attempt at Lee Valley velodrome
"We do thrash ourselves a fair bit over our careers and you
only really realise it when you stop. The amount of damage we do to our bodys, I
am quite shocked to know I do this to myself."David Millar speaking following his retirement from professional cycle racing

"It’s
really fantastic. It’s
really cool to see all those schoolkids around and coming out of their schools,
supporting, cheering for the riders and cheering for the tour. You really feel
that cycling is really popular in Britain." Marianne Vos speaking at the Women's Tour"We
are changing focus for 2016 and trying to make sure we can step up. Elinor [Barker]
is an unsung hero, and it is really difficult to transition from the track to
the road. It was nice that she took the pressure off
Laura [Trott] and we had her in some good positions coming into finishes."Stefan Wyman (Matrix Fitness) speaking at the Women's Tour

"The
roads are wider over there. So in terms of positioning you kind of get a little
bit lazy because you know that in two seconds you can be at the front, whereas
here it can take you an hour to get to the front, and less than a minute to slip
to the back!"Hannah Barnes comparing road racing in the US with road racing in the UK at the Women's Tour"Last
year I did this and when coming up to the finish I crashed on the corner, so it
was nice to stay upright this time! Changing the course to anticlockwise this year was great
for me. I’m a track rider so I love going left!" Katie Archibald speaking following her victory at the London Nocturne"I
love it because it’s different, it’s quirky, and the crowds are absolutely
mental. It’s almost like the atmosphere in the Olympics. There’s a great party
atmosphere. It helps that everyone is a bit half cut! In
this race everyone was going for it and was gung ho, going bang bang bang. It just feels good to finally crack it and get the win." Ed Clancy speaking following his victory at the London Nocturne"When
you are in a race you have to put out of your mind who they are and what they
have done. You just see it as just another bike race and they are just another
bike rider. No one is unbeatable. It’s just a question of getting on and doing it."
Nicola Juniper after gaining the title at the National Criterium Championships"I
think the whole vibe with Foxhunt is that it’s a race but it’s pretty relaxed
and it’s not your average race. I think the mass start – everyone starting
together, I think that helps the nerves and the confidence of girls who aren’t
so sure about racing – having people around them, and it’s female only. It’s
been an awesome weekend and everyone’s had a good time." Rachel Atherton speaking following the Red Bull Foxhunt

"There's a lack of girls in downhill mountain biking, so I am
keen to help get other women into cycling. I hope to organise a couple of
women's events. I have already taken my mum out on a few trails!"Manon Carpenter speaking at the launch of the Strongher women's cycling groupRelated articlesCycling picture memories from 2015